Top five young managers who can replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United

Published at :April 27, 2024 at 2:09 PM

Modified at :April 27, 2024 at 2:09 PM

(Courtesy : Manchester United)

The Dutch manager is likely to be sacked at the end of the season

It is looking grim for Manchester United at the moment. After a promising pre-season and big signings such as Mason Mount and Andre Onana, the Red Devils look to have fallen flat in their performances. While manager Erik ten Hag’s initial games showed aggression, tactical nous and solidity, recent performances have been nothing short of drab, uninspiring and hopeless, strewn with costly mistakes and baffling decision-making.

This has led to pressure constantly building on Erik ten Hag’s future, with some reports suggesting that the new INEOS ownership might sack the Duch manager in the summer. Here are five young managerial prospects who have made waves around Europe and could be the perfect replacements for the Dutchman:

5. Thiago Motta (41, Bologna)

Thiago Motta is the personification of persistence and constant learning. After an exceptional playing career with numerous titles in various European giants, Motta’s managerial career got off to a false start after getting sacked within 9 games at Genoa. Aged 37 at that time, Motta constantly learned and refined his tactics, and now has taken a struggling Bologna side to within touching distance of Champions League football.

Defensively organized and offensively free-flowing, he has already been heavily linked with the Juventus job. However, nothing is set in stone, and his organisational skills and adaptability could be ideal to finally structure a messy Manchester United side leaking goals.

4. Francesco Farioli (37, OGC Nice)

In his very first season at a club in the top five Euopean leagues, Francesco Farioli has managed to keep Nice at a respectable 5th in the league, with away wins against the likes of Monaco and PSG already.

At just 37, the Italian has garnered a reputation for building a rock-solid defence and organised defences, emerging as one of the most promising managers in Ligue 1. Despite coming under criticism recently for his rigid tactics leading to a lack of goals, with Nice having just scored 33 times in 30 games in the league, the defensive solidity and rigidity might be what Old Trafford needs to fix their leaky defence and lack of concentration.

Plus, Manchester United’s new owners INEOS group also own Nice, which gives them a clear pathway to bring Farioli to Manchester.

3. Ruben Amorim (39, Sporting CP)

Last season, Ruben Amorim delivered Sporting CP their first league title in 19 years, even after losing Bruno Fernandes just a year prior. This season, the Portuguese again has the Lisbon giants top of the table, 7 points clear of Benfica and favourites to win it again.

Amorim has developed into one of the most promising tacticians in the game, known for free-flowing attacking football while also maintaining a defensive structure. The 39-year-old also knows how to get the best out of his players, after managing to replace a big name like Fernandes with the likes of Pedro Goncalves and Viktor Gyokeres.

Manchester United certainly have big names with bags of talent, and Amorim might be the perfect man to get the best out of them.

2. Julian Nagelsmann (36, Germany)

When Julian Nagelsmann burst onto the world scene as a 29-year-old managing Hoffenheim, the footballing world had seen nothing like it before. He took both Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig to never before heights, earning plaudits all the way for his man-management and astute tactics. Though his record move to Bayern Munich was seen as underwhelming, his stats were a whole lot better than his successor Thomas Tuchel, while also winning trophies.

As Germany boss, he has managed to solidify a team that was in shambles when he took over and is successfully overseeing a transition period. While he has reiterated his loyalty for the German managerial role, a tactician like Nagelsmann surely belongs in club football. His tactical solidity and man-management might help to unlock the potential of a United squad which looks stale, uninspired and lacking discipline.

1. Keiran McKenna (37, Ipswich Town)

There is no manager in the world whose stock has shot up this season like Keiran McKenna’s. The Northern Irishman has taken newly promoted Ipswich Town to 3rd in the Championship and within striking distance of a Premier League spot. He’s done that while playing an attacking and entertaining brand of football, with comebacks, late goals and drama.

Hasn’t that been the DNA of Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s time? McKenna was part of the United coaching staff, first as the U-18s coach, and then promoted to Jose Mourinho’s assistant, before leaving the club to taking the Ipswich job in 2021. McKenna has an eye for youth, having been a youth coach at both United and Tottenham.

He also knows how to get every single bit out of a player, which has led a relatively unknown and unglamorous squad like Ipswich to be the most entertaining team in the Championship this season. Eye for youth, entertaining football, passionate performances- it all checks out to be an ideal fit for the Old Trafford hot seat.

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